Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Love and Lament ❯ Trap On A Luxury Cruise Ship ( Chapter 20 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“Miss. Rei, you wanted to see me?” Ami asked softly as she entered the Hino’s kitchen. There was something about Rei that made her feel like she should whisper, perhaps to keep from spoiling the girl’s tranquility.

“Mizuno-san, I was just about to look for you.” Rei spoke with her usual calm grace. The young priestess was nearing the completion of what appeared to be lunch.

“Will you please join me?” Rei questioned as she gestured toward the simple meal she was preparing.

“Oh… Uhm, yes, thank you.” Ami was caught off guard by the normally reclusive girl. Aside from her classes, Rei never seemed to talk to anyone, with the exception of her Grandfather. The only other time Ami had heard her speak was when someone spoke to her first.

Ami did not know what to think when Rei, dressed in her miko robes, led her to a seat at a chair less table. She became pleasantly charmed, when the younger girl proceeded to serve a simple, but well planned meal consisting of soup, salad, sandwiches, and a small fruit assortment. Rei’s portion was significantly larger than her own, almost disturbingly so, but Ami figured that the amount of food was necessary due to all the calories Rei expended on a regular basis.

The meal passed by in silence. While she was hoping for conversation, Ami followed Rei’s example and did not speak while they ate. Ami found that she was not surprised to see that Rei both hosted and ate a meal as elegantly as she did everything else. Living poetry was the first description of her that popped into mind.

After the meal was finished and the table cleared by Rei, Ami offered her sincere and enthusiastic compliments. Rei smiled lightly in acknowledgement of the compliments and brought a pot of tea to the table. After she had pored two glasses, she finally spoke.

“Mizuno-san.”

“Please, Miss. Rei, call me Ami.” Ami interrupted.

“Ami-san,” Rei continued without missing a beat. “Would you accompany me on a dinner cruise tonight?”

“What?” Ami squawked at the surprising question. This was definitely not something she was expecting.

“A… a date?” Ami sputtered quietly.

Ignoring Ami’s stuttering and scarlet face, Rei continued. “I acquired two tickets for this cruise, and I believe it would be beneficial for us to learn more about each other. As friends.” Rei added as an after thought to Ami’s misguided embarrassment.

“Oh, Uhm I…” Ami chewed her lower lip nervously, a habit copied from her mother.

::Jeeze, what was I thinking.:: Ami’s skin flushed red again as she realized that Rei was still patiently waiting for an answer. “Yes, I mean, yes I would like that. I just, uhm I just need to let my mother know first.”

Rei bowed slightly, outwardly calm, Rei was very much relieved, and happy that Ami had agreed to join her. “It is a formal dinner cruise, so you should find something nice to wear.”

Rei paused slightly before continuing with the slightest hint of teasing in her voice. “You can pick me up at seven thirty, and I appreciate tulips and lilies.”

Ami blushed out of habit, even though she knew the miko was teasing her. Hours spent studying her former lover taught her to read people by noticing small, seemingly inconsequential facial and body movements, and listening for the changes in someone’s voice. ::Wow, I did not expect that. She has a sense of humor, subtle, but it is there. Of course, turnabout is fair play.::

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“Who a! Sensei, you look amazing!” Makoto cooed as Rei took a seat next to her in the sitting room. She had just finished dressing, and was waiting for Ami to pick her up. She wore a long black gown that once belonged to her mother, but her grandfather had it tailored to fit her. The gown was floor length that covered her entire front but pooled towards mid-back, and exposed her shoulders. She wore with it a long pair of matching gloves and high heels.

Makoto appraised her sensei, believing that were it not for her painfully crooked nose, Rei would be beauty personified. As she ooed and awed, she had a hard time believing that Rei was as young as she was. She had a presence about her that made you feel as if you were seeing a mature woman, not a young girl barely thirteen years of age.

“What’s the occasion?” Makoto asked through her musings.

“Ami-san is accompanying me on a dinner cruise this evening.” Rei replied softly.

“Not the Ocean‘s Bloom?” Makoto questioned, immediately remembering an advertisement she saw on television for the hottest ticket in town. Having lived without a television for so long, Makoto tended to over indulge. Much of her free time was spent in front of the shrines only television, an old battered thing that Grandpa Hino had locked in a closet. Due to her frequent exposure to everything on TV, she was readily up to date on all things new and popular.

“Wait a sec.” Makoto paused, remembering something. “Ain’t that cruise supposed to be for couples?”

Rei did not answer, and was spared any further questions by the rarely heard door chimes. Both girls, curious to see who was ringing the set of chimes kept next to the door, moved to answer it.

Makoto’s jaw hit the floor and Rei’s eyes widened slightly when they beheld a remarkably done up Ami Mizuno, standing at the door. She was dressed in a gorgeous strapless blue gown. She wore an elegant pearl necklace with matching earrings, and her long blue hair was tied into an elegant French braid, which hung freely down her back.

Ami smiled softly as she slowly presented Rei with a bouquet of flowers that she had concealed behind her back. “These are for you. You look lovely tonight Miss. Rei.”

Ami thoroughly enjoyed her payback as Rei was struck speechless while cradling the beautiful arrangement of lilies and tulips. The slightest of blushes began to grace the young shrine maiden’s cheeks.

“Makoto,” Ami smiled at her friend, who was staring blankly at the two of them. “Would you please put those in water for her. My driver is waiting for us.”

“Yeeeah, sure. Wow!” Makoto was flabbergasted, and hardly registered taking the bouquet from Rei. She was enthralled watching her friend and her teacher walk arm in arm down the path that led to the main road outside the temple.

A sudden flash broke the teen from her trance. Makoto looked down to see Grandpa Hino rush past her with a camera, busily snapping photographs as he caught up to Ami and Rei. Makoto laughed and shook her head as he had the pair stop for a moment and pose for a couple of pictures. He only stopped when Rei arced a chop down at him, which he playfully dodged before running back to the entrance of the temple where Makoto waited.

“Lovely aren’t they?” The old priest cooed in a giddy voice.

Makoto swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yeah, but are they a… Well I mean are they?”

“A couple?” Hino finished for his flustered future daughter. “No, I don’t think so. I think they are just out to have some fun. And good for them I say! Rei never takes a break, and Miss. Ami needs something like this to take her mind off things.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Makoto sighed. She could not help but wonder why a small part of her was greatly relieved when she heard that her two friends were not a couple.

Hino looked up at Makoto, guessing what she was thinking. His eyes trailed to the swell of her generous bosom, hardly hidden beneath the shirt she had on. His cheeks reddened as a small trickle of drool pooled out of the corner of his mouth.

“Pervert!” Makoto knocked the old man on the top of his head before spinning around and stomping back into the temple.

Hino fell backwards, where he rested for the night, smiling and studying the stars.


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“ Wow!” Ami looked surprised at her companion. “I never would have guessed. What genre do you prefer, action, comedy, romance?”

For a brief second Rei looked as if she were a deer in headlights, quickly regaining her bearings, she answered Ami’s question. “Mostly girl comics, I prefer romantic comedies.”

Ami and Rei were seated on a bench toward the back of the luxurious cruise ship. When they had first boarded, things were a bit uncomfortable for Ami. Makoto was right, the Ocean’s Bloom, was indeed a couples cruise. Rei did her best to get Ami to take her mind off everyone around them. After an hour of small talk they shared a fabulous meal. Once dinner was over, Rei suggested that they take a walk around the deck. Not long after, they started opening up to each other; the cool sea breeze and refreshing ocean air helped to calm and comfort them.

Things were comfortable between the two, and they started to genuinely enjoy the cruise. Amidst other topics of conversation, Ami brought up the topic of hidden talents. Rei surprised her with her hobby of reading, writing, and drawing, manga. Ami was even more surprised to find out that Rei liked romantic comedies.

In truth, that was Rei’s second favorite genre. Rei inherited her Grandfather’s almost unhealthy obsession for Hentai. It was not long after she “borrowed” one of his manga, that she became fascinated with them and started illustrating and writing her own. She justified her art by adding a bit more depth and story than one would normally find in a perverted comic book. The young Miko actually had several doujinshi in print that she had published in anonymity. For a comic self published by an amateur, Soldier X, was widely popular and had a loyal cult following. Of course, Ami need never know about that.

Following her surprising answer, Ami hoped that Rei might elaborate a bit. As she was quickly learning however, her companion for the evening did not seem to like talking much. Rei kept her answers short and to the point. Surprisingly, this did not bother her in the least, and she found herself truly enjoying the company of the quiet miko.

“What about you, Ami-san?” Ami almost missed the question, her mind was marveling at how wonderful the evening was turning out to be. She also thought frequently on how she wished she could have shared a night like this with Juni.

“Oh, I always used to sneak out of the house to go swimming. That had always been a personal escape for me. I have loved it ever since my dad taught me years ago, before he left. It was never something I wanted to really share with anyone.” Ami’s mood visibly darkened as her thoughts strayed once again to her lover.

“I have not had the will to swim much lately.” Ami sighed as she leaned against one of the ships protective rails.

Ami looked up as Rei firmly, yet comfortably, grasped her shoulder. She idly noted the calluses that marked Rei‘s hand.

“If you would like to talk about it, I would be honored to listen.” Rei was very aware that Ami had been distraught over something the entire evening. Even though the blue haired genius was enjoying herself, something kept her from truly embracing the moment.

Ami looked up from the waves she was staring at. Tears that were not caused by the cool breeze threatened to fall at a moments notice. With her small callused hand, Rei gently turned Ami’s cheek so that they were looking at each other. Ami was taken aback by the look of caring and compassion that she could see in Rei’s eyes. It was the most emotion Ami had seen from the miko that was not directed at her grandfather.

Ami looked deep into Rei’s intense, strange, and mesmerizing eyes. They seemed to have shifted once again to a violet color that Ami absently noted, suited the younger girl very well. Ami did not know what it was about Rei, but something about her demanded, and encouraged her trust.

Ami could not hold it in any longer. Her thoughts about Juni, and the compassion that Rei was showing her, finally broke the damn that held her tears in check. Rei was ready with a deceptively strong embrace, one which Ami desperately clung to. She led Ami to a darker area of the ship, somewhere where they could have the privacy they needed. Ami noted the gesture, and was grateful for it. She was troubled enough without having to worry about making a spectacle of herself.

“I’ve ruined your dress.” Ami half sobbed after crying, and clinging to Rei’s small, but strong frame, for over a half-hour. The whole time she was in tears, Rei held, comforted, and cared for her. Ami tried wiping futilely at the stain her tears left on Rei’s stunning dress.

Rei calmly grasped Ami’s hand and returned the older girls head to her shoulder. Ami sighed and hiccupped as she tried to regain her composer. Rei whispered reassuringly into her ear that everything was alright.

“I am sorry about your dress and our evening. I did not mean to spoil it all.” Ami started to apologize a short time later.

“It’s all right.” Rei spoke softly as she dabbed the tears from her companion’s eyes.

After Ami’s tears had dried, Rei had let go of her. The blue haired teen sat awkwardly a few inches away from her. Now that her hysterics had ended, she was not sure if she should stay where she was, or move to a more respectable distance. Rei surprised her, and answered her question by grasping her hand and placing it in her lap. Ami stared at their interlocking hands, before looking into the eyes of the young temple maiden.

Rei’s normally serene demeanor remained caring and open. Ami was again surprised that this much emotion was directed toward her. She knew in that moment, Rei wanted nothing more than to help her. Looking deep into the now open eyes of the surprising young woman, Ami found that she wanted, and could without doubt, trust her completely.

With pathetic relief, Ami embraced the trust and opened up herself. For the following hour she found herself revealing everything, she kept no secrets or half truths; she held nothing back. The truth of herself, the truth of her lover, everything that she could not tell her family or friends, and things she was afraid of or uncomfortable sharing with JiJi. JiJi, in fact, was the only topic that Ami did not unburden herself of. JiJi’s identity was something he shared with her, and it was not her place to reveal it to his granddaughter.

When she had finished, she found Rei again wiping away tears that had fallen unnoticed down her already tear tracked cheeks. As Rei gently whisked away the tears, she leaned in close to Ami. Ami held her breath as Rei quietly began to whisper in her ear.

Ami started crying anew, but not out of sorrow. Rei had whispered just a few sentences, words that to most people might seem trite and useless. To Ami however, it was exactly what she needed to hear.

Smiling though her tears, Ami wrapped Rei in a crushing embrace. “Thank you, thank you so much. You have no idea how much this has meant to me.”

Ami laughed, pathetically grateful, in-between sniffles as she wiped at her stemming tears. Slowly she disentangled herself from Rei. The young Miko knew that Ami would need some time to herself, and moved to stand.

“How about I get us something to drink? Then we can start enjoying the rest of the cruise.” Ami smiled and nodded gratefully as she continued trying to compose herself.

“Ok, and Miss. Rei, thank you.” The Miko, bowed slightly before she turned. Once again the picture of serenity, the young temple maiden walked away toward the main banquet hall of the ship. Ami watched her as she left. A great feeling of relief washed over her. The burden of keeping so many secrets from so many people felt lightened greatly. Finally she had someone who was not a demon, whom she could confide in. She had Makoto, but the older teen might not have understood. Not just about Juni, but about her supposed destiny as a soldier of the moon as well. Rei, shared that destiny, and had listened to her story without judgment, or reproach. Ami smiled, knowing that she had the beginnings of a true friendship with this enigmatic girl. She found herself very much looking forward to that.

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“Pardon Miss., Aren’t you going to the banquet hall?” Ami, who had been waiting for Rei to return, looked up to see one of the cruise leaders. She was fairly tall for a Japanese woman, and had a cold look to her dark eyes.

“The evenings entertainment is about to begin.” The woman smiled, something that made Ami immediately uncomfortable. There was something about the woman that seemed almost predatory.

“Uhm… No, I…” Ami stumbled over her words as the cruise leader took a step forward. “I am waiting for someone.”

“I do not think we will be attending this evening. Thank you.” Ami flinched when the predatory smile of the cruise leader momentarily turned into a frightening snarl. The change was so fast that Ami almost believed she imagined it. Feeling uncomfortable, and more then a little threatened, Ami stood to leave. She froze when the cruse leader’s hand encircled and tightened around her wrist.

“I’m afraid, young Miss., that I’ll have to insist!” The cruise leaders dark eyes burned with hunger as she pulled on Ami’s arm.

“YOW!! Aaah!”

A sudden shock flashed through Ami and the cruise leader’s arms as soon as the woman started to pull Ami away. Both were thrown to the ground were they took a moment to regain their bearings. Ami started to stand as soon as her body heeded her commands. Ami’s eyes widened. What was once fear turned instantly to wonderment when something about the cruise leader changed, suddenly becoming achingly familiar.

The cruise leader shook her head free of the cobwebs caused by the shock. She looked up fully intending to kill the young girl. Her eye’s widened, her deathly glare shifted to panic, confusion, shock, then finally pathetic relief.

“No… How can it… Merci, is that you?” The cruise leader began to slowly crawl toward Ami, one arm outstretched and trembling.

Ami was stunned as the woman’s face and hair began to change color, revealing a face from her past life. “Tetisu?”

Merci’s sister smiled, genuinely, before enveloping Ami in a tight embrace. Her initial exuberance and elation was halted suddenly, as she felt Ami push her away.

“Tetisu, you, you are one of them?” Ami, voice strained, asked her beloved sister, from Merci’s life.

A shamed look crossed the former Mecurian’s face. A single tear dropped from her left eye. As it trailed down her face, so too did her illusion fade. With her illusion dropped, Ami was free to look upon her one time sister’s demonic, faceless features.

“Oh Tetisu, why!” Ami cried pulling her startled sister into a hug, as her feelings and memories of Merci started blending with her own.

::By the Gods, Merci I am so sorry.:: A distraught voice sounded in Ami’s head. ::I thought you were dead. Father, father told me that you were killed::

Tetisu tightened her grip on Ami, reaffirming to herself that her beloved sister was truly there in her arms. ::I demanded that father give your body to me so that I might give you a proper funeral. But, but… That bastard sneered at me, then laughed when he described how he fed your body to the sharks. That man, hated you. He saw your choice as a betrayal and a personal insult and affront against him.::

::When he told me that, I felt as if I would kill him. I… I do not doubt that if I had the means, I would have done so. I felt it was his fault for forcing you into the role as a Senshi. He disowned you and banished you from Mercury simply because you chose to marry a woman. Because you had the courage to defy his wishes and follow your heart.::

Tetisu pulled away from Ami. She stood and walked to the railing of the ship, which she gripped tightly. After a moments silence, her mind speak continued in the equivalent of a loud sob. ::It was only a dream. I, I thought it was just a dream. A woman, a tall dark woman wreathed in shadows came to me. She offered me power, power enough to avenge you.::

Tetisu fell to her knees, trembling. Ami was quick to her side, supporting her.

::I didn’t know it was real. When I awoke I had been changed, my husband did not recognize me anymore. He thought I was an intruder, that I had killed his wife. He attacked me, and before I could understand what I had done, I had killed him. I murdered my husband, because he tried to avenge me. Without knowing what I was doing or why, I found myself marshaling my house’s forces. I claimed an assassin murdered my lord and that the assassin came from our father’s palace. My people were all to eager to take revenge upon that miserable man. Within a days time we attacked father’s palace, our forces bolstered by hordes of demonic fish men. I remember them from the descriptions Bruuna gave to me of your attacker when she lost half her face.::

Tetisu’s telepathy was slow and weak. Her tale, and the memories accompanying it left her exhausted. ::Within hours I had personally killed father and every one of our sisters that stood by while you were cast out of Mercury. The attack was perfect and the slaughter complete. Within hours, my forces sacked father’s capitol and killed every living thing we found. The last memory of that day I have is of the fish men hauling the carcass of a colossal sea beast toward the gates surrounding father’s city. At that moment, everything was enveloped by a light so pure it burned. The light of Serenity, sealed all of us away in an icy hell where I have lived the last two thousand years.::

Tetisu looked up into Ami’s eyes. She looked past the human soul to that of her Mecurian sister, enveloped within. ::But, here you are. You’re alive within this girls body. I did all of that for nothing, I sold my soul and helped destroy our planet… for nothing.::

“You were fooled my sister.” Ami spoke, but Merci’s voice was heard. “I did die; though it was not until after you took the capitol. The Earth Witch Beryl, was the one who struck me down. She burned me alive while I was held captive by her dark magic. It was the power of Serenity that destroyed Beryl and allowed me to be reborn within this human girl.”

::Beryl?:: Tetisu was shocked and betrayed. ::It can’t be…::

Ami looked upon Merci’s sister with a profound sadness, unwary of her surroundings, or how dangerous they had suddenly become. It was instinct alone that saved her when the air around them became charged and a searing beam of energy fired at them. Ami pushed away from her sister, but was clipped on the side of her hip. The force of the beam spun her around and sent her sprawling to the deck. Smoke wafted from the scorch mark along the side of her dress; the flesh underneath was red and pained.

Jadeite stood merely twenty feet away. A captains uniform replaced his normal attire, though his visage was no less fear invoking. He smiled slightly as he looked upon Ami, struggling to push herself to her feet. Ami looked past her pain induced tears at him. She recognized him immediately as the man who was in the room with JiJi the night the temple was attacked. This was the man JiJi had called Jadeite. She knew she was in a lot of trouble.

Jadeite’s eyes lingered over Ami’s body, widening slightly as they caressed the angry mark left by his attack. The dark general licked his lower lip, while he considered his options. “Tetisu, your plan has worked wonderfully, despite a small distraction in the ballroom. Go and finish attending to the harvest while I decide what to do to our little friend here.”

The Dark General never once looked at the Mecurian turned Yoma. He did not know of her connection to Ami, thus he had no reason to doubt her motives or loyalties. He had no reason to believe she would attack him; nor did he have a defense when she did.

One shot was all Tetisu had, one shot to kill this bastard; she failed. Jadeite howled as Tetisu’s arms elongated and her fingers hardened into claws. In an eye wink, one had shot forward ten feet and tore into the left upper chunk of his face, leaving it attached by a mere thread of skin. The other hand plunged deep into the Dark Lord’s stomach.

Surprisingly, Tetisu began to scream, her cries of agony much louder than those of her opponent. A black flame had formed in the pit of Jadeite’s gut. The hellish flames ignited Tetisu’s embedded claw and spiraled up her arm to engulf her body. Panicked by the pain, Tetisu leapt toward Jadeite, her arms receding to their normal length.

The one eye of Jadeite that was not covered in gore widened and he smiled slightly as Tetisu launched herself forward. Jadeite struck forward just as she was about to crash into him, his hand caught her by the throat and hefted her above him with an unbreakable grip.

“No!” Ami yelled as she watched Tetisu’s hand succumb to the flames and tear from her arm. The remnants, remained lodged in Jadeite’s gut. Ami struggled to push herself up, trying to go to Tetisu’s aid.

Mad with pain, Tetisu’s body glowed brightly. Everyone stilled for a moment as all the sound around them suddenly ceased. Seconds following, a massive spiral of ocean water leapt over the side of the ship. The unyielding spray blasted into Jadeite and Tetisu, extinguishing the flames and throwing both of the combatants overboard.

“Tetisu!” Ami yelled after her once sister. She pushed herself to her feet, swooning as pain shot through her side. The energy blast had clipped her good, and was hurting terribly. Ami grit her teeth, ignoring the pain long enough to make it to the rail next to where Tetisu and Jadeite flew overboard.

“No.” Ami gasped upon viewing the empty ocean bellow. No ripples no bodies, no lights, no noise. Whatever happened to the combatants, to Merci’s sister, they were gone.

“Huh? Ahh!” The young genius yelped as the railing she was leaning against abruptly bent against her weight and began to crumble. The railing toppled off the ship altogether and plunged into the sea. Ami almost fell with it, but managed to push herself back onto the deck.

CREAK

Ami’s eyes widened in panic and fear as the entire ships deck began to rust and decay before her eyes. Loud pops and creaks sounded from all around her and she realized that the whole ship was beginning to fall apart. ::This whole ship was probably held together by their powers, and now that they are gone…::

::We are sinking!:: Ami’s mind yelled out to her in an effort to get her moving. She Immediately, despite the pain, jumped to her feet and began tearing across the rapidly decaying deck toward the ballroom. “MISS. REI!!!”

Despite her best efforts, by the time Ami reached the ballroom, the ship was already listing heavily to one side and was rapidly taking on water. She knew, that she only had a few minutes to find her friend and think of a way out. Ami pushed open the once grand doors to the ballroom, only to have the wood splinter and crumble under the pressure.

“Oh Gods, no please! NO!” Ami was horrified to find the ballroom filled with the bodies of hundreds of unconscious people. People who would not be able to keep afloat when the ship finally went under. Ami’s lower lip trembled as a sob escaped her throat. She stood horrified, only for a moment. At the sound of a large crash, she vigorously wiped the tears clouding her eyes and began to climb over and around the 664 doomed passengers of the Ocean‘s Bloom. Ami was a strong swimmer, and knew that in the cold ocean she would be able to save herself, and with a lot of luck maybe one other. There was no choice to be made as to who that one would be.

“Miss. Rei!” Ami called out as she spotted the young Miko slumped against the side of a wall, beyond the shattered remains of a massive table that had carried the dessert buffet. Ami rushed to the young girl, who lie face down in a small puddle. Ami’s heart skipped as she noticed a large burn scarring the back of her friend. The dress around the ten inch wound was burnt away, and her flesh was blackened and cracked. The puddle, was primarily the blood that had pooled from a large gash on the side of her head. Ami, horrified, followed the trail from the puddle on the ground to a large indentation in the side of the wall.

Ami’s breath came in gasps as she began to tremble. Slowly she reached out to check the pulse of her friend. Rei was not moving, not even enough to draw a shallow breath; Ami feared she was already dead. Ami’s trembling fingers pressed gently against the pale Miko’s wrist. Ami’s breath stopped as she waited from any sign of life from the girl who would be her dear friend.

“Oh Miss. Rei…” Ami exhaled suddenly and tears began anew when she was able to detect a faint pulse. Ami knew that she was panicking, and forced herself to get control of herself. She took three deep breaths and wiped her eyes enough to clear them once more. The ship shifted again, causing Ami to fall over Rei and tumble toward the wall which would soon become the floor.

Ami looked around in shock as the bodies of hundreds of unconscious people pilled upon each other as the boat shifted again.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!” Ami screamed as she ripped a piece of cloth from her dress and started to bandage the wound on Rei’s head. She knew what was going to happen, but she would be damned if she was going to let Rei die as well. Breathing hard, but keeping herself focused, Ami sat Rei against the wall then knelt in front of her and struggled to pick her up in a piggy-back carry.

As soon as she struggled to her feet, the ship lurched violently, almost toppling her over, and sending hundreds of bodies to slam against the walls. The fact that she was already leaning against the wall was the only thing that kept her standing.

Ami did not give herself a moment to think as she ran with all her might toward the ballroom exit. The ship was angled horribly, but luck was on her side, as the exit was leading down and not up. Stepping over the piles of people, Ami managed to reach the exit and drop, with Rei, through the shattered doors.

“Ooof” Ami nearly lost her breath and dropped her precious cargo when she fell through the open doors, skid across the nearly vertical deck, then slammed into the railing, which broke free under the sudden force. Ami hit the water hard, from a nearly fifteen foot drop. Rei’s weight on her back added to the force of impact. That alone was enough to shock her, the temperature of the ocean made sure of it.

Fighting on will alone, Ami remained conscious and aware enough to swim as far from the doomed ship as possible. As soon as she was able to orient herself, Ami had grabbed Rei with one arm and began a breaststroke with the other. Ami was never more thankful for her secret love of swimming than she was today. It was the only thing that kept her alive this long.

Ami swam until she could no longer, and then she tread water, struggling desperately to keep Rei’s head above water. She knew that the shock of the cold water not waking her friend up was a really bad sign. It was even worse because she could feel her muscles become sluggish. She wondered absently why no rescue vehicles had shown up yet. It was the last thing she wondered before she felt herself slip under the water. With her last pull of strength she pushed Rei up, but that too proved futile. Ami embraced her young friend from behind, pressing her scarred back against her bosom. She held on tightly as they slipped further and further under the waves.

::Juni… I…::

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